Samsung Galaxy S8 Specs and Release Date

Samsung is coming out with new technology at the speed of — now. Just last year the company came out with their Samsung Galaxy S7 series on March 11, 2016. And now, the mobile giant has introduced their upcoming release of the Samsung S8 series available on April 21, 2017. Pre-orders started March 29.

The price for the new phone is between $720 to $750. This is about the same from last year's S7 Edge, which came in at around $669 to $769. Of course, mobile carriers like AT&T, Sprint, Verizon, and T-Mobile will allow customers to purchase the Samsung S8, with an extended contract, to pay over an 18 to 30 month period, depending on who they go with.

What to Expect From the Samsung Galaxy S8 Series

The upcoming new smartphone Samsung Galaxy S8 is said to be the companies classiest Android yet. Consumers will have their choice of Midnight Black, Orchid Grey, Coral Blue. Artic Silver is on the color wheel for the phone as well but has yet to be announced. Unfortunately, the home button is gone. Which makes one think how they will get back to their home page without it.

The S8 will feature an iris scanner on the front and rear fingerprint sensor, which has been of some controversy. Some thought the sensor on the Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge was poorly placed on the front home button. The new placement, however, seems awkward and out of place, making the holder blindly place their finger over the sensor is an accident in the making. Other specs include:

• A 12MP and 8MP dual camera. It takes two shots at the same time.
• A facial recognition unlock feature.
• 5.8in to 6.2in QHD plus a Super AMOLED curved display.
• The Samsung S8 can be docked wich turns the phone into a desktop PC because of Samsung Dex. It is as simple as putting the S8 into the dock which makes the apps appear on the computer screen. It allows the user to accept calls using the speaker while they browse.
• Andriod 7.0 Nougat with Samsung Experience.
• 4GB RAM
• 3,000mAh/3,500mAh battery
• For speedy processing it is has a first of its kind 10nm chip.
• Bixby lets the user control their phone with their voice only.
• 64GB storage with microSD and up to 256GB.
• Bluetooth 5.0, NFC
• IP68 certification

The Samsung Galaxy S8 is grabbing the attentions of renowned Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo. In research notes, he wrote down the specs of the phone making special note of the seven colors it will have. He claims that the handset will not be as popular as the Galaxy S7 or the up and coming iPhone 8.

Contract or No Contract That Is the Question

It is true that not everyone likes to put themselves into a contract of a promise to pay for a device like the Samsung Galaxy S8, because of the length of them and most of all, because of the very real idea that the new best phone will raise its beautiful head in a year. That being said, it is the easiest and fastest way to get the S8 if one does not have the nearly $800 to shell out all at once.

• AT&T will price the Galaxy S8 at $25 a month for a 30-month lease.
• Verizon will charge $30 a month for the S8 over the course of 24 months.
• T-Mobile will sell their Samsung Galaxy S8 for $30 with a $30 down payment fee over a 24-month lease on what is called its Equipment Installment Plan. However, if the customer is a member of the JUMP! On Demand program, the S8 is $0 down with a price hike in its payment plan of $3 making it $33.
• Sprint will charge $31.25 a month and an 18-month payment plan. The company is cheaper than the rest, making it $23.43 for the same plan over a 24-month period.

However the consumer wants to pay for their new phone is up to them, but, it is clear that users of the Samsung phones are beyond excited to get this new device in their hands. On a side note, Microsoft is also releasing their version of the S8 called the Galaxy S8 Microsoft Edition. The phone comes with pre-installed Office, OneDrive, and Cortana.

By Tracy Blake

Sources:

techradar: Samsung Galaxy S8 price: how much does it cost?
The Sun: THE GALAXY S8 IS HERE Samsung Galaxy S8 features and specs REVEALED in our hands-on review
The Inquirer: Galaxy S8 and S8+ specs, release date and price

Top Image Courtesy of Anthony Quintano's Flickr Page - Creative Commons License
Featured Image Courtesy of Aaron Yoo's Flickr Page - Creative Commons License